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Collection Information

Size: 3 videocassettes (U-matic) ; 3/4 in.

51 slides

0.4 linear feet

Summary: The videos and slides on African American folk artists Dilmus Hall, Mary T. Smith, and J.B. Murry measure 0.4 linear feet and date from circa 1984 to 1986. The collection includes recorded interviews conducted by art historian Judith McWillie with the artists about their lives and work, and color slides of Dilmus Hall and Mary T. Smith with their work.

Biographical/Historical Note

Judith McWillie is an artist, art historian, and professor emeritus of drawing and painting at the Lamar Dodd School of Art of the University of Georgia. Hall was born in North Georgia in 1900. He worked as a waiter and construction worker before retiring in 1961 to devote himself to art. His yard and cinder block house in Athens, Georgia are decorated with sculpted animals, devils, and humans, often based on Biblical themes. He has also produced hundreds of drawings in a cartoon-like style. Mary Tillman Smith (born 1904) produced art from roofing materials and plywood squares. Murry (also Murray), is from Athens, Georgia.

Provenance

Videos and slides on Dilmus Hall, Mary T. Smith, and J.B. Murry were donated to the Archives of American Art by Judith McWillie in 1986 and 1987.

Related Materials

Also found in the Archives of American Art are J.B. Murray drawings, 1985 on microfilm reel 3667.

Funding

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.

EAD XML

Through collecting, preserving, and providing access to our collections, the Archives inspires new ways of interpreting the visual arts in America and allows current and future generations to piece together the nation’s rich artistic and cultural heritage.